If you have meters that were not installed by OVO the off-peak hours may vary. The best way to find out in this case would be reaching out to your supplier (or our Support Team if you’re an OVO member).

If you have a Smart meter installed by OVO the off-peak times can be worked out using your Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). You can find your MPAN on your monthly statement found via your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS):

Then use this table below; the first two digits of your MPAN is the ‘Area ID’; the ‘Off peak’ times are on the column second from the right:

Please be advised that Secure, Aclara and Honeywell smart meters don't adjust for BST. The result of this is that during summer your off peak times will be an hour later than advised above. 

Can someone tell me when my cheapest time of the day is please? 
I always thought it was after 7pm but I’ve been reading different things lately ‍♀️

Hiya @Pichel1981 !

I think you’re talking about Economy 7 times, is that right? If so, I can definitely help you with that. Please could you let me know what region or county you’re in and I’ll be able to provide the times for you.

If that’s not what you’re looking for, please could you clarify your question and we’ll try to see if we can help.

Thanks!

Hi. Yes, sorry, that is what I was talking about. I’m in Essex, CB11

Thanks! In that case, I think you’re in MPAN Area ID 10 and your DNO should be UK Power Networks. If that’s wrong, please let me know as my geography is far from perfect! I’m basing this info off of a guide we have here.

And based off of another one:

You’ve got the standard 7 hours. In the winter it’s Peak between 7am and midnight and Off-Peak from midnight until 7am. If you have a Smart Meter that’s branded Aclara, Honeywell or Secure though, please be aware that it won’t adjust for BST so your hours might be an hour later in the summer.

Mr parents are on an economy 7 tariff with OVO and are considering getting a smart meter installed but I have some concerns about how the smart meter works. On their old style dual rate meter, it is very easy to see at a glance whether day or night rate is active via a small arrow that points to either low or normal readings. After some research regarding smart meters, it seems like the information shown on the meter display (SMETS2?) is much more limited. Is it possible to see at a glance which tariff is active with whatever model of smart meter might be installed by OVO?

Welcome @Datsun42 ,

It is indeed, but I need to see photos of the meter first, so that I know exactly which one your parents have as the advice varies between them.

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. If you are referring to their current economy 7 electricity meter, from memory I believe it looks exactly like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Economy_7_Meter_and_Teleswitcher.JPG

Ok, thanks.

Most IHDs will let you see what rate is currently active as well as the meter. I’ll be able to give more specific instructions once the meter has been upgraded, but I can’t easily advise until then.

Could you possibly provide an example (like a link to an image) of what it looks like on both an IHD and smart meter unit itself from a possible make/model OVO might install? I have seen photos of various eco 7 IHD and smart meters and I have no idea what is supposed to indicate the active rate. I’d really appreciate it, thanks.

Also I read that they are going to phase out radio teleswitching on 31 March 2024 so it sounds like they will have to upgrade anyway?

OVO tends to install SMETS2 Aclara SGM1400 Series meters and either Geo Trio II or Chameleon IHD6/IHD7 IHDs. I’m afraid I don’t have the right photos to show you as hardly anyone ever posts them here.

However… I can probably call in a favour from the forum moderators who might be able to figure out a few tricks next week, if that helps?

Thanks, I would greatly appreciate it. I just need to see an example of how you can look at the smart meter and/or the IHD and tell which rate (peak vs off-peak) is currently active.

I’ve tried looking online for examples of economy 7 on an Aclara smart meter and the best thing I could find is this thread which contains photos:

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/smart-meters-136/why-do-my-economy-7-tariff-times-shown-on-my-5-port-s2-smart-meter-not-match-my-meter-switch-times-since-switching-to-ovo-9291

Is the active tariff price (provided the user remembers the peak vs off-peak price) the only way to know which rate is active?

@Blastoise186 is this of any use?

Not while Exporting it doesn't!

Looking through my smart meter documents, it looks like the newer versions are programmed to automatically display the active rate register. 
I can scroll through the various options including both registers but the auto set up looks useful

I’m surprised this question doesn’t have a confident confirmation one way or another. Thanks for sharing BPLightlog, I wonder if that means older S2 Aclara don’t have this ‘auto set up’ config, or if this is a firmware upgrade. 

@Datsun42 these smart meters will always change at the same time, moving forward one hour when BST kicks in. With that in mind once you find out when your smart meter’s off peak is, it’s easy to know when to use those hungry electrical appliances.

I believe you pay more per unit for your peak usage - so you need to be sure you use enough off peak to make it worth while having economy 7